new signing Sorba Thomas:“He will be a Premier League star if he keeps working hard”.
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: HTAFC
Sorba Thomas, the coveted National League star has joined The Terriers but what can Town fans expect? We spoke to fans from his former club Boreham Wood to find out.
After much teasing on Huddersfield Town’s Twitter account, Boreham Wood attacker Sorba Thomas was announced as The Terriers’ third signing of the January transfer window. It’s fair to say that it was received with little fanfare from supporters, which is to be expected given that many fans don’t follow the National League. It’s not an indictment on the player, who arrives with strong praise from the fans in the fifth tier of English football.
Like with previous signings in the window in Danny Grant and Rolando Aarons, Thomas is a winger who can play in all positions across the front three. The London-born attacker joins a team that’s full of young London players who are starting to make a name for themselves at Huddersfield such as; Rarmani Edmonds-Green who has broken into the first team this season, along with Josh Koroma who is this season’s top scorer. The 21-year-old Thomas, who signed a contract until the summer of 2024, will look at these examples as a reason to believe that he can make a similar impact at the club in years to come.
Described as one of the hottest properties in the National League, Sorba Thomas was originally at the West Ham United Academy before joining Boreham Wood, aged 16. At Boreham Wood, he made nearly 100 appearances for the club and featured in two playoff finishes for the club after starting out in their academy.
His debut for the club came in the 2017/18 season as an 18-year-old, coming on as a late substitute against Maidenhead United on 16 September 2017, playing as a striker. It was the 2018/19 season that was Thomas’ breakthrough, making 14 starts and 20 substitute appearances in all competitions and scored four goals. He made 31 starts last season in the Vanarama National League, mainly playing on the right flank for the Hertfordshire side and attracted plenty of attention from other Championship and League One clubs, before his move to Huddersfield.
With the move now sealed, we look at the comments from his previous side Boreham Wood, the player’s reaction and get Boreham Wood fans’ perspective on what to expect from Town’s latest signing.
Leigh Bromby said: “Sorba has a lot of potential and many qualities that will fit the way we play, and this is a really positive acquisition for the Club moving forward.” Photo source: HTAFC
What the clubs said
When the signing was announced, Boreham Wood were clearly pleased to see a player they had nurtured from their own academy go for a club-record sale. Their manager, Luke Garrard, described it as a ‘proud father moment’ for him. In a club statement, he said:
“I remember fondly when Sorba first came to Boreham Wood PASE Academy, he was a lad that believed in his ability and would work tirelessly at his craft and always tried to better himself… To see Sorba finally get the move he deserves is like a “proud father moment” for me and many at the Club. Having spoken to him to discuss this opportunity once terms were agreed between the two Clubs, Sorba was left speechless and anyone that knows him knows that’s not very often the case.
“Sorba understands what’s at stake and the chance he has given himself. Huddersfield Town are an established Championship side, who were in the Premier League just two seasons ago. It will be a great environment for Sorba in the next stage of his development, with fantastic facilities, great coaching and a track record of success nurturing players.”
People have described the signing as similar to Josh Koroma’s move to Town from then National League side, Leyton Orient, including Huddersfield’s own Head of Football Operations, Leigh Bromby. In an article on the club’s official website, Bromby said:
“The step from the National League to the Championship is a big one and we will take every necessary step to help him be successful. We will assess what is best for Sorba once he’s trained with us.
“He only needs to look at Josh Koroma as an example of the path he can take. Josh came from the same level, took time to adjust and improve and then made a massive impact on the Championship this season.”
Rumours circulated shortly after the signing that Thomas would join League Two side Harrogate Town on loan for the rest of the season, but as revealed by Yorkshire Live reporter Steven Chicken, no decision has been made yet as Carlos Corberán is keen to see what he’s like in training first. Combine that with the injury crisis that Huddersfield are currently experiencing and The Terriers may wait until the end of the window before making a decision.
In an interview with the club, Sorba said: “I felt like I’d move either into the Championship or any of the other leagues, but I felt like Huddersfield was the right move for me.” Photo source: HTAFC
What the player said
Josh Koroma’s development for Huddersfield has been used as an example by Leigh Bromby and Sorba Thomas also believes in that comparison too. Speaking in his first interview on Huddersfield’s official YouTube channel. He said:
“Before Koroma signed here, I played against him when he was at Leyton Orient and he’s a talent. The first thing my gaffer at Boreham Wood, Luke Garrard, said was that he used to compare me to Josh Koroma. ‘You’ve got the speed, the confidence, the eye for goal’ and seeing [Koroma] in some of the clips for Huddersfield, he has progressed his game massively and I want to follow in his footsteps and become the next Sorba Thomas.”
Making the jump from the National League to the Championship is a big step and Sorba Thomas admitted that himself.
“A boy has got to grow up one day and I feel like I’m doing it very early in my career where I can finally leave home, mum wasn’t too happy about it but I had to leave home and have a nice fresh beginning where I can stay up here and stay focused on my football…I felt like I wanted to be at a team where they didn’t have pressure on me straight away, where they’d allow me to get used to the surroundings.
“Moving from London to up north now, a place that was very hectic to someone that’s quiet and I felt like the manager attracted me and I know Josh Koroma, who also did the same as me and I felt like Huddersfield was the right move. Their style of play is attacking which can exploit some of my talents and can make me an even better player… It’s also a test and I like to test myself. I like to push myself to the limit and I feel like with this gaffer and with this team they can help me do that.”
Poor recruitment is widely accepted as the reason that Huddersfield didn’t build on their first season survival in the Premier League but from what we’ve seen in this window, Huddersfield are planning for the future and becoming a club that nurtures players who are up and coming like Danny Grant and Sorba Thomas or offer players a chance to rebuild your career like with Rolando Aarons.
Upon leaving Boreham Wood, Thomas said: “I will always remember where I came from and always be grateful to Boreham Wood for giving me the platform to be where I am today,” Photo source: HTAFC
What fans have said
Before signing for Huddersfield, we’ll admit that Sorba Thomas isn’t a name that we were familiar with, so to find out more, we spoke to two Boreham Wood fans to get a further understanding of The Terriers’ latest recruit.
Brett Lewis, author of Amazing Journey: From Ryman League Division One North to the National League. Watching Boreham Wood FC 2008-2015, tells us more about Sorba Thomas’ time at the club.
“Huddersfield are getting a pacey, skilful, hardworking player who has improved year on year since he joined Boreham Wood six years ago. His playing style is very direct. He likes to run at people and he has a good engine on him. As for weaknesses, he needs to score more goals but playing at left wing-back hasn't helped.
“His highlights at Boreham Wood overall include his rapid development over the last few years. More specifically, his recent last-minute winner against Aldershot in what turned out to be his last league game for the club and last one in front of a crowd. Sorba’s time at Boreham Wood has been great. He has learnt from some excellent coaches in the club's PASE Academy and has developed through sheer hard work and determination. When he got in the first team squad he continued to develop until be became a vital part of the first-team squad and then got his move.
“His relationship with the fans has been great. A lot of supporters first spotted him in our excellent youth team of a few years ago who did well in the FA Youth Cup and won a number of trophies. When he became a first-team regular he was a fans favourite. It’s hard to see him making an immediate impact at Huddersfield as the step up is big. However, if he maintains his attitude and with the right coaching, I think he has the ability to make an impact in time. He has bags of potential. The improvement I've seen in him year after year has been staggering. If that carries on, he will be some player.”
Brett Lewis says “The improvement I've seen in him year after year has been staggering. If that carries on, he will be some player.” Photo source: Twitter
James Barr, a Boreham Wood fan also got in touch to tell And Takes That Chance about Sorba Thomas’ career with the side. He said:
“You are getting one of the best players in Non League and that’s not just Boreham Wood fans saying that, most Non League fans say it. He’s very creative and can play anywhere up top and at left wing-back. He loves getting assists so the strikers will love him.
“As for his style of play, he’s very attacking and loves running at defenders. He’s extremely tricky and can use both feet, but I’d say his weakness will probably be his defending, he can manage but I’m sure it’s something Huddersfield coaches will work on with him.
“A highlight that stands out to me is the away match at Wrexham last season. Boreham Wood were 2-0 down and he came off the bench and just destroyed their right back and helped get a draw in the end. His last-minute winner against Aldershot a couple of weeks ago in front of the fans was the perfect way for him to say goodbye.
“I don’t think anyone could say anything bad about Thomas’ time with us, he was a proper player when he played for us and he helped us believe that we’d get something out of the game, no matter how poor the team was playing. He’s the sort of player that can change a game on his own with his skill, the fans loved him and he always had time for them. He’d be warming up and sign programmes for kids or meet fans after the game and have a chat with them.
“As soon as he’s up to date with training and getting used to the busy schedule that is training every day, I’m 100% sure he’ll get in your team and become a fan favourite if he’s given the given the chance. Some players you just know are born to play the game and become stars.
“I believe he will be a Premier League star if he keeps working hard, this lad really is a talent that Huddersfield have got and I truly believe he will play a big part in getting Huddersfield pushing for promotion again this season or next. Knowing Sorba the way I do, all you really need to know about him is that he’s hard-working always wants to win, nothing else will do. He will be determined to be the first name on that team sheet week in, week out, he wants to be successful in the sport for club and country.”
Although the fee was undisclosed, Sorba Thomas left Boreham Wood for a club-record sale. Photo source: Boreham Wood
Summary
It’s clear that Sorba Thomas is a player for the future rather than one who can make an immediate impact in Carlos Corberán’s team this season. However, when researching the player for this article and seeing what’s been written about him in the media and the comments from his former manager and fans, he seems like a player with huge potential.
Whether he realises this potential with Huddersfield Town, you can’t call at the moment. However, leaving West Ham’s academy in pursuit of first-team football with a non league side suggests that Sorba isn’t a player who is happy to settle.
At 21 years old, there is plenty of opportunity for him to continue to grow in his development as he moves up the levels to professional football. When a team in the Championship sign a player from non league, previously people may have scoffed at the lack of ability to make it good. That was before Jamie Vardy of course, who signed for Leicester when he was 25, which was typically considered too late to make it at the professional level if you’ve not been in it before.
Well, he proved that wrong.
Mentioning Vardy here doesn’t mean we expect Sorba Thomas to become the next Vardy, but when you look at Huddersfield’s other young players who are playing for the B team against other secondary sides for bigger teams or XIs, you’d argue that Thomas is further in his development than some of the young stars Town have. Playing football week in, week out, against players who are looking to make it professionally will stand you in good stead because promotion and relegation are on the line, so three points on a weekend matters.
The biggest change Thomas will have to get used to is the training and the step up in regards to the quality level. Going from three days a week training to six days at a higher intensity will take some adjustment, especially when we know how demanding Corberán’s training is.
So more than the other two signings this window, we’ll have to be patient with Sorba Thomas while he gets up to speed. He sounds like a player with potential and the last thing we want is to stifle that potential by having him on the fringes of the first team and playing B Team matches not getting enough minutes.
We’ve all seen how Rarmani Edmonds-Green’s loan move to a League Two side last season helped improve his development and meant he could force his way into the first-team this campaign. If the club thinks a loan move to Harrogate Town for the rest of the season is the next logical step for Thomas to improve his future first team chances, then we back the move. Make no mistake though, it’s exciting to hear Huddersfield is becoming an attractive option for young talents and here’s hoping we see the fruits of its labour in years to come.
How do you think Sorba Thomas will do at Town? Let us know in the comments.
